Lee Wilson placed on probation for Holy Cross burglary, trash fires

SANTA CRUZ -- A 55-year-old homeless man was sentenced to time served and probation Tuesday after admitting to vandalizing a historic statue at Holy Cross Church and setting fires in trash cans outside the Santa Cruz County Governmental Center.

Lee Allen Wilson had charges pending against him from the July 2011 Holy Cross case when he was arrested on arson charges earlier this year.

Wilson was in Santa Cruz County Jail for alleged public drunkenness in May when he admitted to setting three fires in trash cans around the courthouse and county buildings on Ocean and Water streets. He was charged with arson.

In the Holy Cross case, Wilson was arrested after again admitting to breaking the law.

Police were called to Pacific Avenue for a disturbance on July 15, 2011, and found Wilson waiving a piece of wood around while challenging people to call police, spokesman Zach Friend said. Wilson admitted to vandalizing the wooden statue, Friend said.

In August, he pleaded no contest to one charge of arson and one count of commercial burglary.

Prosecutor Kristina Oven said she had argued for prison, but that probation officials recommended a jail sentence.

She said Judge John Salazar had asked for information on some kind of residential program for Wilson, but the Veterans Administration and county mental health officials said they had none available. He will be getting mental health services on probation and will be on electric monitor for 30 days, Oven said.

"Our concern was that he has all these low-level offenses and then, out of the blue, he vandalizes a church and starts setting fires," she said. "That's a red flag; when someone is willing to commit arson, you don't know what they will do."

Salazar ordered Wilson to stay away from the County Governmental Center and Holy Cross and to pay $25,000 restitution to the church.

Rev. Joe Occhiuto of Holy Cross said the St. Joseph statue is over the altar in the Mission Chapel. He said it shattered when it hit the floor after Wilson somehow grabbed it.

"It was brought here with the original missionaries in 1791, and would have been a terrible loss," he said. "But it's been restored. It took a year to put it back together and cost about $25,000."

The chapel is no longer left unlocked during the day, though people can access it by walking through Mission Galeria Gift Shop.

Occhiuto said his concern was that Wilson get the help he needs; he said he didn't think jail would help him.

Holy Cross also sustained widespread graffiti damage in May, including to a historic baptismal font. It too was restored, Occhiuto said. No arrests have been made despite release of a surveillance camera image of a suspect, a white man who looked to be in his late teens or early 20s and wore a chain and large medallion around his neck.

Wilson's attorney, public defender Jerry Vinluan, could not be reached to comment.